The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-09-03
MARK TWAIN'S YOUTH.

Captain Horace Bixby. of the magnif- icent steamer "City of Baton Rouge," is the most popular man on southern waters, writes the Chicago Trt6me's St. Louis representative. Captain Bixby is well-preserved relic of the golden age of the river, and has been a constant student of currents and chutes for forty years Horace Bixby is the man who taught Mark Twain how to steer a steamboat, and the suc- cess of his whilom cub has reflected considerable glory on the tutor. That was away back in the '50's, when Bixby was a pilot, and after all these years he is now of the opinion that a pilot is bigger man than a captain any day, and especially on a dark night in tight place. Captain Bixby is now sixty-one years of age, and he says, "l am just nine and half years older than Sam Clemens" When in a reminiscent mood the other day he said: "It was quite remarkable how Sam Clemens happened to become a pilot. He has written a great deal about himself, but I don't believe he ever told it all. It was in the spring of'57. was then running regularly between St. Louis and New Orleans and occasionally doing an outside job on the Ohio river from Cincinnati to Mew Orleans. It was on one of these outside trips that I first met Clem- ems. l was taking the Paul Jones' T l. passenger on board. In those times the pilot-house was a great loafing place for passengers and pilots out of work. They came in, spit all over the wheel, swapped lies and then left the pilot on duty to slosh round in the debris. didn't like it bit, and I was mighty short with all passen- gers who attempted to talk with me. One morning when the boat reached Island No. S5 in the Mississippi river and we were booming along at good gait, young man walked into the pilot-house, and after watching me for few minutes, said 'G-o-o-d m-o-r-n-i-n-g,' in drawling manner
 q said good morning. mighty sharp, thinking it would freeze him out, but it didn't. He said:
 "'D-o-n't y-o-u want a boy to l-e-a-r-n the r-i-v-e-r?'
 No; don't want any boy to learn the river. What are you pulling your words that way for?'
 "I don't k-n-o-w. y-o-u w-i-l-l have to a-s-k my mother. S-h-e d-o-e-s the same t-h-i-n-p.'
 "I thought he was chaffing me when he said that and I looked up, but his face was just as sober as a preachers. He then asked me if I knew the Bowens who were on the river. I told him that I did and worked with one of them in 1853. He told me that the Bowens lived next door to his father, Judge Ciem- ems, of Hannibal, Mo. In his drawl- ing way he told me of his plans. He had learned printing at Hannibal on his brothers paper, but it did not agree with him and he was going to South America for his health. He liked the river, however, and would abandon his projected invasion of South America for an opportunity to become . pilot.
 "'There Is only one thing that would induce me to teach you the river,' said I.
 "tW hats t-h-a-t?' he asked.
 "sMoney,' said I.
 "fH-o-w m-u-c-h?' he gasped.
 "tFive hundred dollars,' said.
 "'We-l, I ai-n't get that mu-ch,' said he.
 "tThen you better get it if you want to learn the river,' replied.
 "Tve got ei-g-h-t l-o-t-s up in 1 K-e-o-k-u-k, Iowa, but I don't know what they would bring, an | Pve got 2,000 acres of land in Ten- l